More details have begun to emerge about Hulk Hogan's death, painting a picture of his final days. The controversial wrestler passed away at the age of 71 on July 24 after going into cardiac arrest. As for what else was happening with his health, Hulk had a secret battle happening behind the scenes.
Hulk's cause of death was listed as a heart attack, or acute myocardial infarction, per Page Six. He also had a history of atrial fibrillation (AFib), a common type of irregular and often rapid heart rhythm (arrhythmia) that originates in the atria, the two upper chambers of the heart.
A request for cremation approval included one shocking revelation: he was secretly battling leukemia before he passed. Per the Pinellas County Forensic Science Center, Hulk had a history of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and his health was in decline.
The disease is characterized by the uncontrolled growth and accumulation of abnormal white blood cells, known as lymphocytes, in the bone marrow, bloodstream, lymph nodes, and spleen. This proliferation disrupts normal blood cell production and impairs the immune system's ability to function properly (Mayo Clinic).
He went into cardiac arrest at his home in Clearwater, Florida, and was taken by ambulance to Morton Plant Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. A source told Daily Mail he was "suffering from shortness of breath, got tired easily, had lost a lot of weight, and was on oxygen." Seemingly pointing to the AFib, a family insider told the outlet that Hulk had a “weak heart.”
As for what happens next, the cremation approval request seems to be pointing in that direction over a burial, but a spokesperson for the medical examiner’s office told Page Six, “I am not aware when Mr. Bollea will be cremated, only that we received a request for cremation approval.”
The news about his secret cancer battle comes after his daughter Brooke Hogan's statement saying she was no longer invited to his doctor appointments. She was by his side for decades, through 25 surgeries. Then one day, she says she wasn’t invited in anymore. “During the last two years, I had to step away to protect my heart," she wrote on Instagram.
"My husband stayed open, quietly reaching out to my dad without me knowing, trying to find a safe way back in for me. After my father passed, I read those messages, some answered, some ignored… but all of them broke my heart," she continued.
While there was clearly some stuff going on, as recent as July 12, his wife, Sky Daily, shut down reports that he was in a coma, saying, "His heart is strong, and there was never any lack of oxygen or brain damage. None of those rumors is true.”
She said he was “recovering from a major four-level Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF), which is an intense surgery with a long and layered healing process.”
With the new information, it seemss like they were keeping the status of his health a secret.